Fast Forward to 2013, I'm 235 pounds, have run 9 full marathons, but haven't run a full since 2009. I decide to sign up for the pig in January, and learn they have a new category, the Skyline 4-way challenge. It totals 35.5 miles over the two days, and having a pipe dream of running ultras one day, this appealed to me.
The plan was to drive in Thursday afternoon, hit packet pickup on Friday, and then participate in the races Saturday and Sunday.
My training for this marathon was somewhere between minimal to okay(probably closer to minimal). I initially set out to follow the Hal Higdon Novice plan, but as has always been an issue with my training, I tend to not follow them to the letter. I've always been a low-mileage kind of guy, which partially makes me wonder what could happen if I followed a plan to the letter, but the demands of work and family always seem to get in the way. Looking back at my Garmin readings, it appears as though i started running in earnest in November - the last two months of the year i ran 9 times that were logged (although i know i had a few runs in there that i didn't have my garmin on). I planned my Higdon program to start in January to finish up with the start of the pig in May.
The Good:
I was reminded why i enjoy running so much. Once I get running, I generally can push through any discomfort. The biggest roadblock I have is the thought of how much effort it takes to begin with. I tend to figure if i can't go for 3 miles, then it is not worth the effort of changing my clothes, etc. to begin with. This training cycle, I was much more aware of this failing, and did many more 2 mile runs (although frankly, 2 mile runs don't get you to marathon shape)
The Bad:
Longest run was 13 miles. I went into this marathon knowing it was going to be painful, and it was....I didn't lose any weight this training cycle either. In 2003 I started running, and managed to get back down to 220 for the marathon, for this race, i was 235 pounds. In retrospect, I was much more disciplined in 2003 about running, for this marathon I was convinced i would finish, I just wasn't sure how long it would take me.
The Scary:
The 2 weeks leading up to the marathon were very demanding. The week of the 22nd, i was constantly moving, and a family obligation took me out of town that weekend (arriving in town late, and waking up extremely early). Week of the 29th was also brutal, involved a trip to Charlotte for a 7am meeting on Wednesday, the day before i was planning on leaving for Cincinnati. Meetings continued all day, with me leaving Charlotte about 7pm. Traditionally i would start slowing down on Wednesday to allow me to get enough rest. Thursday morning i woke up and my knee was stiff and painful to the point that i wasn't able to put full weight on it when getting out of bed (a byproduct of slipping at the gas station on my way home from Charlotte, I believe). A trip to the chiropractor that morning gave me the confidence that i hadn't totally screwed things up with my knee, but I was not sure how it was going to feel the weekend of the race. Finally, when driving to Cincinnati, I managed to get caught in the traffic from a major wreck on the West Virginia turnpike, turning an 8 hour trip into a 12 hour trip. Everything really seemed to line up against me leading up to the race.
Friday:
Friday I attended the expo. In previous years I wouldn't attend the expo until Saturday, but my participation in the 4-way necessitated Friday attendance, because my first race was 8am Saturday. My mom and I went down to the convention center right when it opened, and I was really surprised as to how crowded it was. As in previous years, it was extremely large. I was disappointed that the old race t-shirts had been picked pretty clean, that has always been one of my favorite booths at the race. I also didn't see any killer deals on shoes that i had seen there in the past. Still a great expo though.
Laying down in bed that night, i was thankful I'd managed to survive to the race weekend, I was now simply curious if I would survive the races.
My training for this marathon was somewhere between minimal to okay(probably closer to minimal). I initially set out to follow the Hal Higdon Novice plan, but as has always been an issue with my training, I tend to not follow them to the letter. I've always been a low-mileage kind of guy, which partially makes me wonder what could happen if I followed a plan to the letter, but the demands of work and family always seem to get in the way. Looking back at my Garmin readings, it appears as though i started running in earnest in November - the last two months of the year i ran 9 times that were logged (although i know i had a few runs in there that i didn't have my garmin on). I planned my Higdon program to start in January to finish up with the start of the pig in May.
The Good:
I was reminded why i enjoy running so much. Once I get running, I generally can push through any discomfort. The biggest roadblock I have is the thought of how much effort it takes to begin with. I tend to figure if i can't go for 3 miles, then it is not worth the effort of changing my clothes, etc. to begin with. This training cycle, I was much more aware of this failing, and did many more 2 mile runs (although frankly, 2 mile runs don't get you to marathon shape)
The Bad:
Longest run was 13 miles. I went into this marathon knowing it was going to be painful, and it was....I didn't lose any weight this training cycle either. In 2003 I started running, and managed to get back down to 220 for the marathon, for this race, i was 235 pounds. In retrospect, I was much more disciplined in 2003 about running, for this marathon I was convinced i would finish, I just wasn't sure how long it would take me.
The Scary:
The 2 weeks leading up to the marathon were very demanding. The week of the 22nd, i was constantly moving, and a family obligation took me out of town that weekend (arriving in town late, and waking up extremely early). Week of the 29th was also brutal, involved a trip to Charlotte for a 7am meeting on Wednesday, the day before i was planning on leaving for Cincinnati. Meetings continued all day, with me leaving Charlotte about 7pm. Traditionally i would start slowing down on Wednesday to allow me to get enough rest. Thursday morning i woke up and my knee was stiff and painful to the point that i wasn't able to put full weight on it when getting out of bed (a byproduct of slipping at the gas station on my way home from Charlotte, I believe). A trip to the chiropractor that morning gave me the confidence that i hadn't totally screwed things up with my knee, but I was not sure how it was going to feel the weekend of the race. Finally, when driving to Cincinnati, I managed to get caught in the traffic from a major wreck on the West Virginia turnpike, turning an 8 hour trip into a 12 hour trip. Everything really seemed to line up against me leading up to the race.
Friday:
Friday I attended the expo. In previous years I wouldn't attend the expo until Saturday, but my participation in the 4-way necessitated Friday attendance, because my first race was 8am Saturday. My mom and I went down to the convention center right when it opened, and I was really surprised as to how crowded it was. As in previous years, it was extremely large. I was disappointed that the old race t-shirts had been picked pretty clean, that has always been one of my favorite booths at the race. I also didn't see any killer deals on shoes that i had seen there in the past. Still a great expo though.
Laying down in bed that night, i was thankful I'd managed to survive to the race weekend, I was now simply curious if I would survive the races.
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